Parenting Teens Who Abuse Drugs

Is your teenager abusing drugs or alcohol? When your teen comes home hours past curfew, you�re angry and relieved. Then you notice his words are slurring and his eyes are glazed over. Maybe he�s hiding something, becoming more withdrawn and non-communicative. You know he�s vulnerable to peer pressure. Maybe his friends encourage experimentation with drugs. Panic tends to afflict parents who suspect drug or alcohol abuse. How can you help him avoid these land mines? And if you suspect he�s already hooked on drugs or alcohol, what can you do to help him get free?

Recognizing the problem is the first step. Become familiar with the different sign of drug abuse. Know where your teenager is and who he/she is with. If you know that your teenager is abusing drugs or alcohol, act now. The longer the addiction continues that harder it will be to break, and the longer lasting the consequences. Drugs addiction causes teens to lose focus and lose sight of anything that is important in their lives. Most will stop at next to nothing to continue to feed the addiction.

Drug Abuse Programs for Teens

Programs that help treat teens abusing drugs include boarding schools, residential treatment centers, wilderness programs, and boot camps. Drug abuse in too many cases can be a life threatening problem. You can probably guarantee that your teen will not want treatment, but it just may save his/her life. Drug abuse programs will help your teen recognize how addiction is destroying his/her life, and help him/her gain the tools needed to live successfully into adulthood.